Crossing Stars
by Fanpirejune
Summary: It's my first shot at this so bear with me! It's a definite work in progress.


"My dad has a girlfriend." I looked up over the rack of shirts, my hands still idly flipping through the hangers. To Rose's credit, she kept her head down as if this wasn't really news. But I saw her eyebrows arch, and I noticed the slight hesitation in her reach for a bright blue tank top.

"Interesting." She mused. She finally flicked her eyes up to meet mine. Her lips curled into a small mischievous smile. "How's Edward feel about it?"

I sighed. Edward. My complicated twin brother. As far as Edward was concerned, I was the only woman in his life. I had been born first, three minutes ahead of Edward. After Edward came out, our mother kept bleeding. And bleeding. And bleeding. Edward and I had not even been alive an hour, and we lost our mother. Growing up, our father never pursued dating. He doted on me and Edward, making us the center of his universe. And Edward, carrying the unnecessary guilt of our mother's death on his shoulders since he was old enough to understand what had happened, took to protecting me. He couldn't bring our mother back, so was devoted to ensuring that nothing happened to me.

We were a cliché pair of twins. When we were in high school, I would be able to sense Edwards moods from across the school. As soon as class was out, I'd rush to find him, ready to inquire what was wrong or what was he so excited about. It creeped a lot of people out. It made us different from others and different in high school is frowned upon. But Edward and I loved it. It was as if we had our own secret world, our own secret language. It's what made us close.

And it went both ways. I've never been able to hide from Edward what is on my mind. He can always tell, often finishing my sentences out loud before I've had a chance to finish thinking them in my head. There was a time in my life when it drove me crazy. I wanted to figure out who I was, but Edward already knew and it irked me. But a time came when I quit fighting it and accepted that a big part of finding myself was accepting Edward as a big part me.

"Another woman in Dad's life? Edward doesn't want to talk about it," I told Rose and she rolled her eyes. "But he hates it. Clearly."

"Oh, Edward," my best friend let out a sarcastically sympathetic sigh. "No girl will ever be good enough, not for him, not for you, not for poor Carlisle."

I giggled. "Just because Edward shot you down in fifth grade, eighth grade, tenth and twelve grade, really Rose, there's no reason to be bitter."

Rose moved around the clothing rack, picking up a pair of jeans from a nearby shelf, and hurled them at me.

"Shut up. Your brother's stupid." She scowled, letting her shiny curly blond hair fall over her face like a veil. It had been years since she had last chased Edward, but I knew the rejection still bothered her. After all, not many boys turned away Rosalee Hale. And even though Edward had no problem with Rose being my best friend, it made Rose feel better to tell herself he did. Because then, by being my best friend, she somehow felt as though she were defying Edward, and that thrilled her.

"So what's the mistress's name?" Rose drawled, dramatically twirling a scarf around her neck and batting her eye lashes at me.

"Gross. Don't call her that."

Rose shrugged, took the scarf off and wrapped it around my neck, holding onto the ends and wiggling closer to me. "Lover? Is that more appropriate?"

I squirmed out from beneath Rose's mock embrace.

"If Edward were here, he'd be beat red. He'd say-"

Cutting me off in a deep voice and her chest puffed out, Rose mimicked Edward, "Roselee, you are being rude and disrespectful"

I giggled, picturing my brother just as Rose was. "Well he'd be right. And her name is Esme. They met at a cooking class."

"Carlisle takes cooking class?" Rose, who grown up across the street from me, was just as surprised as Edward and I had been.

I shrugged. Apparently with Edward and I out of the house, the disconnect with our father had begun. He was somehow becoming someone who surprised Edward and I. From taking cooking classes, to dating, to wearing pink polos. My dad in pink. It freaked me out.

"Apparently. And apparently so does Esme."

"It's a pretty name," Rose commented.

Was it? I hadn't decided. And in fact, having the whole conversation with Rose was starting to annoy me. I hadn't expected for it to bother me so much. Was I turning into Edward, moody and over protective? Or was Edward nearby, influencing how I felt?

I suddenly jerked my head up from the shirt I had been studying in between conversation. I saw Rose first, her head turned to the left, looking at something. I followed her gaze, and sure enough, strolling our way was Edward.

His hands were shoved in his jean pockets, his shoulders back in perfect posture. We were both tall; Edward at 6"1' and me at 5"10'. We were slight in build but both lean. I had studied dance since I was old enough to bug my dad about it. And Edward was an avid runner. We both had big blue eyes and mischievous smiles. I saw myself in his smile and I knew he saw himself in mine. But while Edward had messy dirty blonde hair like our father, I had inherited my mother's hair, a shock of red.

As I watched Edward walk toward Rose and I, not for the first time, I tried to picture my twin brother, dashingly handsome as he was, with my red hair. I tried to keep the giggles inward, but the more I tried, the more a few slipped out. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rose looking at me as though I were crazy. As Edward neared, he heard my laughter. He frowned but I could see the smile glint in his eyes.

"Quit making mentally putting your mop on my head. I'm not some dress up doll, Alice."

I flitted the short distance between us now and punched him in the arm. "You can't pull off the red hair anyway. You're not bold enough."

He rolled his eyes and his shoulders followed. An Edward habit. "When you're right, you're right." He politely met Rose's gaze and nodded at her. He greeted her with a simple statement of her name, "Rosalee."

"How lovely of you to join us shopping, Edward," Rose tilted her head. "I've found a fabulous skirt that will really accentuate your petite legs."

Edward smile a crooked smile, not backing away from Rose's challenging gaze. "Lovely," he commented. "Thank you so much for keeping me in mind, Rose. It's heartwarming. Really."

Rose snorted, annoyed as usual with Edward's cool and aloof attitude. Not without snarling a snide comment, Rose stalked away.

"What's up, bro?" I chirped.

Running his hands through his hair, Edward let fall the facetious smile he had just been dazzling Rose with.

"Dad's called. He's coming to town tomorrow. He's bringing Esme."

I watched the bitterness swim in my brother's eyes, and I feel it begin to curdle through my veins as well. I wanted to fight it. I didn't want to brood like Edward. I was the light and fun-hearted one. It was my role, and I embraced it.

"Fantastic!"

Edward eye balled me and gave me a small smile. "She has children, Alice. She's bringing them as well."

I pictured my dad with another set of children. I saw him holding some other little girl's hand. And I saw him racing across the lawn with some little bother that was not Edward as a child. My face flushed, and I knew Edward was reading me.

"They're older, Alice. They're around our age."

It changed the picture but it wasn't that much better. Now he was clasping some other young man in an awkward man hug, half shaking hands, half hugging. And now he was walking some other girl down the aisle of her wedding. I had the urge to stomp my feet and scream. He was my daddy. Mine. Mine alone. Well, not mine alone. Edward's too, but that was it!

"Not so fantastic, is it?" Edward raised his eye brows. I looked up at him, and knew we were both aware our lives as we know it was about to change and neither were ready or willing.


End file.
